This invention relates to a method and apparatus for mulching grass, leafage, or similar material, and more particularly to mulching apparatuses and methods that utilize a hammer mill.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,263,771 to Iaboni et al. describes a mulching mower adapted to cut and finely mulch grass, leaves and the like. The device comprises a first blade to cut grass and a second blade, on the same shaft but in a separate housing, to finely cut the grass into mulch before exiting the device.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,916,887 to Mullet et al. describes a mulcher that mounts onto a tractor and is characterized as a single housing with two or more rotatably journaled cutting blades and a plurality of high speed mulching blades mounted downstream of the cutting blades.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,070,683 to Eggenmueller describes a mulcher with rotating knives mounted within the same housing as the mower's cutting blade, where both are powered by the same engine.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,142,851 to Lydy et al. describes a post-processing mulcher mounted on the discharge of a lawn mower. The post processor comprises a rotating blade to finely cut materials and an impeller to pull these materials past the blade and out the device.
All the foregoing devices can become impeded or even stuck with heavy loads of materials passing through them, especially materials containing large amounts of leaves or sticks mixed with the grass. Furthermore, it is questionable to what extent these devices can finely divide this yard refuse into an acceptable mulch. What is needed is a device that can readily handle large amounts of cuttings from a mower-deck and not bog down nor stall. Furthermore, what is needed is a device that can readily pulverize these materials routinely into a mulch of such a fine particle size that it settles down between the cut grass blades and quickly decomposes.